Dog Days
by Starlight-killer
Summary: Sakura enlists Kibas' help in getting her dog to be a nin dog. while both try to work up the courage to admit their feelings for one another, Kiba is being forced into blind dates by his clan, in their attempt to find him a mate, which surely causes problems.


Sakura walked out of the hospital, running a hand through her short tresses. Sasuke was still at large in the Konoha world after killing Itachi and Orochimaru, Naruto was running around, trying to court Hinata, Ino and Shikamaru had finally gotten together, and Neji and Tenten had gotten off their horses and began dating.

All that was left was little old Sakura who was too busy with work to get herself a man.

It wasn't as if she didn't have someone on her mind though.

She sighed and held her arms tighter to herself. It was late winter, where it was cold in the mornings, nice during the day, but freezing at night, and it was about 11 o'clock at night.

She heard barking up head, and lifted her gaze to where it was coming from, hoping for a large white dog to come running around the corner with his very attractive male owner following behind.

Alas, her wishes couldn't be fulfilled, as a black dog ran out of an alley, and straight to Sakura.

Sakura yelped as the dog jumped on her. She gently removed the dog and bent down. The poor thing was shivering and quite under-weight.

Sakura smiled and rubbed his ear.

"Come with me, you can stay with me tonight." She said softly to the dog.

He licked her face and Sakura removed her belt, looping it around his neck, putting the stopper in a hole that was loose enough not to choke him, but tight enough to where it wouldn't slip off.

Sakura made her way down the street, the cold dog right by her side. She smiled down at it, and it looked happy to have someone near-by.

She made quick of the walk home and led the dog into her apartment building.

* * *

She stepped out of the elevator and walked to her apartments door.

As she unlocked it and let her guest in, the dog walked in calmly, and looked around. Sakura took her shoes off by the door and locked the door behind her, setting her purse and keys on the table next to it.

"I guess I should give you a name huh?" She called to the dog, who came to her voice, wondering what she was doing. Sakura was in the kitchen getting a bowl for water.

As she filled the bowl she tapped her foot in thought.

"What about Takaharu?"

The dog barked in appreciation and wagged his tail.

Sakura smiled and set the bowl down. Sakura walked over to her fridge and pulled out some hamburger for him reheating her left overs so the dog didnt have to eat cold meat.

She put it on a plate and set it down after letting it cool.

"This is all I have buddy, I'll get you some dog food first thing tomorrow okay?"

The dog moved to the food and devoured it. While he was eating, Sakura ran her hand down his side and noticed that he had a large gash in his side.

She ran to her phone, she was a medic for people, not dogs.

She dialed Kibas' number, she wished she had a different reason to call him, but Takaharus' health was more important than her own desires right now. He picked up after the fourth ring,

"Who the hell is it and why the fuck are you calling at almost midnight?"

"Kiba, it's Sakura, is Hana awake?"

She heard him move from the phone, "HANA?"

She heard a quiet, "WHAT?"

Kiba came back to the phone, "Yeah, she's up, why?"

"It's urgent, can I come over?"

"Uh yeah sure, I'll wait outside at the front for you."

With that Sakura slipped her shoes back on, grabbed her keys, unlocked her door, scooped up Takaharu, and ran out the door, locking the door behind her.

Sakura ran to the Inuzuka compound, where sure enough, Kiba was standing outside in the freezing weather waiting.

"Sakura? Is that a dog?" He asked, jogging towards her.

She nodded, "Can we get him to Hana before we talk please?"

Kiba nodded and took Takaharu from her and they went inside.

Hana was waiting. "Sakura-san is everything okay?"

Sakura shook her head and Kiba set Takaharu down on the table, where they quickly saw the gash, considering Kibas' shirt was now covered in the dogs' blood.

Hana gasped and set to work, exclaiming, "What happened?"

Sakura then began her story, "Well, I was walking home from work and I saw this dog, he ran at me, shivering, and I could tell he was under weight, so I took him back to my apartment, I planned on bringing him to a vet tomorrow morning but as I gave him some left overs I had, I began petting him and I noticed his gash and I'm so sorry for intruding on you at this time of night but I just couldn't let that sit and I wanted it to be looked at by a vet I trust, and I trust Kiba and you're his sister, plus you're an Inuzuka, an-"

Kiba cut her off, "We understand Sakura, why don't you come with me while Hana takes care of him? I can make you tea or something."

As much as Sakura wanted too, she shook her head no. "Takaharu is my dog now, and I'm the only one in this room he knows. I'm staying with him."

Hana raised an eyebrow, "You said you found him, maybe an hour ago."

Sakura shook her head and looked at the dog that was staring at her, confused, as Hana continued to work on him. Sakura lifted her hand and scratched his ear, "I can't explain it, I'm sure it's nothing compared to the Inuzukas' and their dogs, but it just clicked, and right now I'm all he has," She smiled at Takaharu, "So there is no way I'm leaving him."

Kiba smiled at her, "I never knew you were a dog person."

Personally, this pleased Kiba, he had a crush on Sakura ever since the academy, it faded for a while, but he's been seeing her a lot more, even went on a few missions with her, and she was great, more than he could ever imagine. This just topped it, she was a strong headed woman and that's exactly what he needed.

Takaharu barked and licked Sakuras' hand and Hana pulled away.

"All done! It wasn't deep, just large, fixed right up with a bit of chakra." She patted the dog's head.

Sakura smiled gratefully, "How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing." Kiba said, stuffing his hands in his pocket.

Hana looked back and forth between the two and narrowed her eyes at her brother, she would talk to him later.

"Sakura-san do you have dog food? A collar? A leash?" Hana asked.

Sakura shifted, her eyes darting around, "No, I was going to get some tomorrow morning."

Hana shook her head. "Just take one of our bags and a temporary leash and collar, it's no big deal, Kiba, carry her bag home for her okay?"

"That's not really necessary I'm-"

"It's fine Sakura." Kiba said, turning, walking out to her his food and the items his sister asked for.

He came back in with a grey collar and matching leash, handed it to Sakura, and then went to grab dog food.

Sakura took Takaharu off the table and put him on the ground, and fitted the collar to him. As she clicked the leash, Kiba came out holding a giant bag of dog food.

Sakura bid Hana good night, promising her a free check-up or whatever she needed next time she was at the hospital, which Hana agreed to hold her too.

Kiba held the bag as Sakura walked the dog back to her apartment.

Snow began to fall softly, and Sakura looked up, watching the snow fall.

Kiba smiled, "Guess it was good you found him tonight then huh? He wouldn't have made it if it's cold enough to snow." The wind picked up, blowing her scent to him, which he inhaled pleasurably.

Sakura smiled at her dog, "Hey Kiba?"

"Hmm?"

"What does it take for a dog to be a nin dog?"

Kiba stumbled, "You aren't serious? You want him to be a nin dog?"

Sakura laughed, "I want him to be _my_ nin dog, like Akamaru to you." At that, Kiba shook his head, "Sakura that takes a lot for a dog who isn't bred, and they have to bind him to you, it isn't like Inuzuka dogs where it's natural."

Sakura laughed, "I know, but then again, me being a ninja isn't in my blood, but I managed to do it." She smiled at him, and he coughed, and mumbled something.

"What was that?" She asked.

"I said, you've done a lot more than 'manage'."

She smiled, being the top medical ninja, surpassing her mentor, and becoming the next generation Sannin, was quite a feat. Especially for someone of the Haruno clan status.

"If you really want this to happen, Sakura, I'll do it." He said, his face a little red.

They walked into her building and she grinned at him, the lights giving her eyes even more sparkle, "Really?" He nodded, "You have to bring him by every day, I'll teach him and you, then I can do the binding jutsu on you two."

AS they rode the elevator up and she bounced up and down, smiling. "Thank you so much!" She wrapped her arms around him in a unexpected hug. Kiba grinned and inhaled her scent since he couldn't hug her back since his arms were full. The elevator doors opened with a ping, letting them off at her floor.

"Oh my god!" Sakura stared out the large window at the end of the hall, a light snow had turned into a full blow blizzard in a matter of minutes. She looked at Kiba and he shrugged. Takaharu barked at pulled Sakura to her door.

"Kiba I can't let you out in that."

"It's not really that far."

Sakura turned to glare at him, "As a medic and a friend, I am ordering you to stay."

Kiba opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off, "Don't make me pull rank on you."

Sakura happened to be an Anbu medic, while Kiba was only a Jounin. Kiba sighed and walked into her apartment after she unlocked the door, and put the dog food on the table. Sakura brushed past him after she unclipped Takaharus' leash and grabbed a bowl and filled it with food and put it on the ground next to the bowl of water.

As Takaharu ate, Sakura went to find Kiba something to sleep in, which Kiba followed her into her room.

* * *

"Sakura I can sleep in my boxers, I doubt you'll have anything for me to wear."

Sakura continued to go through her closet, then her drawers, finally admitting defeat.

"Fine." She grabbed a pillow for him and an extra comforter from the hallway closet.

They made their way back out to the living room, where Takaharu was laying on the couch.

"Come on boy, that's my spot." Kiba plopped next to the dog.

Takaharu jumped off walked over to Sakura, who petted his head and ruffled his ears.

Kiba took the pillow and put it against the arm rest, and Sakura put the comforter at the other end of the couch.

"Well I'm going to change, if there is anything you need wake me up, or if you can, get it yourself."

Kiba raised an eyebrow, grinning at her, "Are you insulting me?"

She laughed and walked away, Takaharu at her heels, "I'll leave my door open when I go to bed, just in case you can't reach something!"

Her laugh echoed down the hallway until the door closed.

Kiba pulled his shirt off and folded it, putting it on her coffee table, and did the same with his pants, leaving him in his ramen bowl boxers.

"Shit, it's laundry day tomorrow." Kiba grunted, looking at his boxers.

He sighed and pulled the blanket up to his chest and his nose was filled with strawberry and vanilla. Kiba sighed, and buried his face into her pillow.

He never thought this would happen, that she would let him stay over, that she loved dogs, that she cared enough about him to not let him walk home in the blizzard.

Kiba sighed, he had been trying to court her, inconspicuously, of course. He was to be the head of the Inuzuka clan soon, and he needed a mate. Whom he wanted Sakura for. He didn't want some dumb bimbo that couldn't defend herself, or wouldn't be willing to help out every month when all the Inuzukas washed their dogs.

He stared at the ceiling, one thing he didn't tell Sakura about the nin dogs, if she wanted a relationship like he had with Akamaru, she had to be an Inuzuka, she had to be one with him, and he was scared to tell her that, that as soon as he said it, she would run from him and all his hard work to put them on the same missions and run into her would go to waste.

Kiba looked at the clock, it was around 3 am. Sakura had fallen asleep an hour ago, he could faintly hear her heart beat.

He heard her grumbling softy, and thrashing in her sheets. Kiba sat up, running a hand through his tousled hair and getting off the couch to check on her.

"Damn, its fucking freezing." Kiba growled, rubbing his arms as he walked down the hallway to her room.

Takaharu was watching her, whining, confused as to what was going on.

"It's okay boy." Kiba said, moving him over so he could get on the bed.

He stared down at her, tears streaked down her face, her hair all over the pillow.

"Sakura?" He whispered, but it was no use, she was too deep in her sleep to hear him, so he moved the blanket over, and got in next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him.

He rested his chin on her head, and he noticed her thrashing had stopped and she was cuddled into him. Kiba buried his face into her hair and fell asleep.


End file.
